Manchester United made it three wins from three under new boss Erik ten Hag as they overcame a depleted Crystal Palace at the MCG.
Goals from Anthony Martial - his third of the tour - Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho – who book took their tour total to two – sealed a comfortable win for United. After a 4-0 win over Liverpool in Bangkok and a 4-1 triumph over Melbourne Victory, ten Hag oversaw another impressive display, with United displaying a clear identity under him.
United skipper Harry Maguire was inexplicably booed by sections of the 76,499 crowd whenever he touched the ball early on, but blocked out the mindless abuse to play with authority and composure. Palace pulled a goal back through Joel Ward in the second-half, while United youngster Will Fish, who came on in the 65 th minute, was shown a straight red 19 minutes later, for denial of a goalscoring opportunity, by bringing down Victor Akinwale.
Here, Mirrorfootball looks at the winners and losers from the encounter at the iconic MCG...
WINNERS
ANTHONY MARTIAL
Martial made it three goals in as many games on United's tour, with his superbly-taken 17 th minute. After scoring against Liverpool and Melbourne Victory, Martial continued his hot streak against Palace, controlling the ball with his chest and firing a volleyed finish past substitute keeper Remi Matthews, who had only just come on for the injured Jack Butland.
With Cristiano Ronaldo absent from the tour and in danger of not being ready for United's Premier League opener at home to Brighton on August 7, Martial is in pole position to start that game and his scoring exploits will make it hard for ten Hag to leave him out.
Martial's movement, pace and touch were all on point in his 45-minute outing, a far cry from last season, when he managed a solitary goal for United and the same for Sevilla in a dismal 12-game loan spell. Martial could have made it 2-0 from a devilish Marcus Rashford cross just before the break, but was unable to reach the ball.
HARRY MAGUIRE
For some inexplicable reason, a crowd at the MCG made up largely of United fans, decided to boss skipper Harry Maguire's every touch early on. Maguire is used to such treatment, having been booed on England duty at Wembley against Ivory Coast, while his withdrawal for Juan Mata in the 84th-minute of United's 1-0 Champions League defeat and exit, to Atletico Madrid, was another low in a difficult season for the England star.
But here at the MCG, Maguire rose above the inexplicable abuse from the stands, to deliver a composed display in his 65-minute outing. He needed it too, after being culpable for Melbourne Victory's opener in United's 4-1 win at the MCG four days earlier, and appeared to have won the crowd over when he was applauded for an effort that went just wide.
Ten Hag hopes retaining Maguire as captain will help the 29-year-old rediscover his best form. On this evidence, it is working, with Maguire assured and unruffled.
JADON SANCHO
The England winger endured a difficult first season at United, following his £75million move from Borussia Dortmund, as he struggled to adapt to his new surroundings and the Premier League. But Sancho, like so many of his United team-mates, has hit the ground running on their pre-season tour.
He was a threat throughout the game against Palace, getting in behind their defence and linking up well with Martial, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes. Sancho was involved in the build-up to Rashford's goal and deservedly got on the scoresheet, plundering United's third a minute before the hour, with a fine controlled finish, after slick build-up play involving Fred, Rashford and Martial.
Like Martial, who has scored three on tour and Rashford who has two, Sancho has been in fine form and is likely to be a key man for United at the start of the season, with ten Hag acutely aware of the need to make a positive start to his tenure.
LOSERS
JACK BUTLAND
The Palace keeper lasted just 13 minutes, unable to carry on after sustaining a wrist injury in saving an Anthony Martial shot at point-blank range. After several minutes of treatment, Butland could not carry on and was replaced between the posts by Remi Matthews. Palace boss Patrick Vieira will hope the injury to Butland, back-up to Vicente Guaita, is not too serious, with their season opener against Arsenal on Friday August 5 just 17 days away.
PATRICK VIEIRA
The Palace manager's pre-season preparations have been compromised with the absence of six key players from the tour – Wilfied Zaha, Marc Guehi, Jeffrey Schlupp, Sam Johnstone, Eberechi Eze and Cheick Doucoure. Without those players, Vieira has been unable to work with the full squad and options at his disposal, losing 4-2 against Liverpool in Singapore and now to United, a frustrating pre-season campaign ahead of their opening Premier League fixture against the Gunners. There was something for Vieira to cheers, when Joel Ward scored with a header in the 74 th minute, but there were few positives to take for the Palace, other than minutes on the clock for his squad.
JORDAN AYEW
Palace forward Ayew was in the thick of the action throughout, none more so than in the second-half, when he chopped down Bruno Fernandes, a challenge for which he was booked, then became involved in a shoving match with Fred, as tempers flared. Ayew played on the edge throughout the game and was, at times, in danger of earning a second yellow and a subsequent red, which would have been some feat in a pre-season friendly.
WILL FISH
It has been a tour to forget for United youngster Fish, a 19-year-old defender who flew out to replace Axel Tuanzebe, who returned to Manchester for personal reasons. Fish's tour outing lasted just 19 minutes, the Manchester-born centre-back shown a straight red for denying a goalscoring opportunity, when he hauled down Palace forward Victor Akinwale.
